Improvement in steamship and steamboat building



A.. WTHOMPSQN. M Improve-ment ih St-eamshig and Seamb'oa Buiiding I No.124,641, Patenedwiape-hiznavz,

mmm

w e mhd r.

L. fam mgm mmmw i AMBROSE W. THOMPSON, OF NEW YORK, N.v Y.

IMPROVEMENT INASTEANISHIP AND STEABOAT BUlLDING.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 124,641, dated March12,1872.

To all whom it may concern:

. Be it known that I, AMBnosn W. THOMP- SON, of the city and county ofNew York, and State of New York, have invented certain Improvements inSteamships and Steamboats; andI do hereby declare the following to beafull, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, in which-Figure l is a longitudinal vertical section of a steamboat for river orlake navigation embodying my invention; Fig. 2, a plan of the same; Fig.3, a transverse vertical section; Figs. 4 and 5 show the manner ofconnecting the elliptical bracing 5 and Fig. 6 represents a sectionalview of one of the braces.

Similar letters of reference in the accompanying drawing indicate thesame parts.

The object of my invention is to render practicable the construction oflarge iron steamboats and steamships of light draught and great passenger-carrying capacity 5 and to this end the invention consists in animproved method of strengthening the hull by a system of elliptical ironbracing, substantially as hereinafter set forth.

In the drawing, AB O represent a series of elliptical iron trusses,arran gedin vertical planes, extending longitudinally of the boat, andof different lengths, according to its lines and their own lateraldistance from its center. Each of these trusses consists of two equalarcs, a c, joined at both ends, and springing outward at the center, asshown in Figs. 1, 4, and 5, the curves of the arcs being elliptical,circular, parabolic, or of any other form that may be preferred. Acentral chord, C, common to both arcs, extends from end to end of thetruss, said chord and the ends of the arcs being connected by strongiron castings Azo w. The chords, arcs, and castings, plate or block w,may be fastened together in a variety of ways, so as to render theconnection very firm and strong. For example, the casting may be madewith an enlarged end, against which the arcs abut, their proximate facesbeing chamfered to rest squarely upon the smaller portion of thecasting, as shown. Triangular blocks w may then be inserted between thearcs and the casting for the purpose of adding greater strength andsolidity to the connection 5 and the chord may be bolted or rivetedfirmly to the side ofthe casting, or to its upper or under surface, aspreferred. When the chord is made double it may embrace the casting. Allthe parts are riveted through and through, so that they cannot give wayunder any circumstances. Or the smaller portion of the casting may beomitted, and the chord may run clear through and be bolted directly tothe enlarged portion fw, the arcs coming down to the chord and beingbolted thereto, and the triangular blocks being inserted and secured byrivets or bolts, asbefore described. The method of fastening is,however, immaterial, and any construction may be adopted that willanswer the purpose. The arcs c c are further connected by crossed bracesand counter braces b b', and by tie-rods c c, secured to the arcs at thepoints where the braces abut against them. The elliptical frame isformed of channel-bars and plates riveted together, and at the pointswhere the ends of the segments abut I introduce a casting, c, for thedoublev purpose, first, of connecting the segments by rivets passingthrough the casting, channelbars, and external strengtheningplate,thereby imparting strength to thejoint; and, secondly, to form a seatfor the struts b b when drawn into position by the rods r r. The bracesmay be of any suitable construction, the forms represented in Figs 4 and5 being, perhaps, among the best. As there shown, the braces cross eachother at the line of the chord, and at the point of contact a plate, t,is applied to each side of them, the pair of platesbeing connected bybolts or rivets. The plates may be cast or struck up soas to fit overthe edges of the braces and come together in the angles. Their office isto render the braces more rigid, and prevent them fromworking oryielding in any direction whatever. The chord, if single, lies againstone of the plates, and is bolted to it and the braces; if double, itembraces the struts and plates, and is bolted through and through, thusstill further strengthening the braces.

Figure l represents a sectional view of a fiat-bottomed iron boat, inwhich the bottom plates amidships are secured directly to thetruss-frame by means of angle-iron fastening pieces attached thereto,while the stem and stern plates are connected to the truss-frame bymeans of a system of struts and braces, s s s.

` i III- ported by the chords o c.

The main-deck beams rest upon and are sup- 'lhe boiler deck restsamidships upon theupper arcs of the trussframes, and at the ends uponposts p p, standing upon the main-deck beams or the chords 5 and theupper decks upon posts throughout their entire length. The main deck maybe further supported by posts m m underneath,

vsaid posts being either in line with the trussframe, so as toconstitute a part thereof` or not, as the constructor may prefer. Theboat is, of course, divided by bulkheads into as many water-tightcompartments as it may be thought desirable to construct. The boilersare supported upon the niain deck, and the wheelshaft upon the upperarcs of thetruss-fraines.

To give further rigidityT to the frame I may construct a similarelliptical truss-frame, D, and place ithorizontallyin line with thechords c c, the curvature of its arched beams correspending` to thesides ofthe vessel at that elevation from the keel. To this horizontaltraine I attach the deck-beams d d, which overhang the sides, as seen inFigs. 2 and 3. The horizontal fra-ine and the. vertical frames areunited in any suitable manner at their points ofA junction, and it has acommon chord with the central vertical fa-me A. The vertical frames aretied to the deck-beams by means ot' the rods i' i", as shown in Fig. I5.

)[,v ohiext in thus constructing a vessel is to brace and strengthenevery part ot' the hull in such a manner that the strain upon it,however applied, sha-il he divided up and distributed equally throughoutits entire leugdi.

lhe bracing herein described completely e fects this purpose. sothat it'the vessel were loaded and suspended upon two points at the ends, or asingle point anywhere between the ends, the strain throughouther entirelength would be equal and uniform, and she would sull'er no injury. Tilesystem ot' bracing not only strengthens the hull 'againstl upwardstrains, when applied under her bottom, as in case. otstranding, or whenriding over heavy sea-s, but also lateral strains ot' any kind, as

well as the downward strains from the weightv ofthe cargo, engines, orupper works, so that a vessel, whether designed for-inland or outsidenavigation, can be given a much greater carrying capacity than itconstructed in any other manner. At the saine time, since her strengthdepends more upon the truss-frames than upon the skin, she can be madeexceedingly light; and the form oi' the hull, no lon ger requiring acertain shape for safety, can be molded to any shape that may benecessary for lightness of draught and speed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new isl. A centralvertical truss frame A, consisting of two equal ares, a c, joined attheir extremities, springing apart at their centers, provided with acommon chord, c, and tied and braced as shown at b b v, when combinedwith the hull ot' a vessel in such a manner that the ends of the frameare connected directly to the stem and stern ot' the vessel, while thelower arc rests upon and is attached to her bottom, and the chord csupports the main deck, substantially as described, for the purposesspecilied.

2. The system of vertical truss-frames A B C, all constructed asdescribed, when the meinbers of different lengths, according to theshape ot' the hull, are ot' substantially the same diameter, so that thechords ot' the several frames unite in directly supporting the maindeck, substantially as described, for the purposes specified,

3. l'n ship building, the combination of the system ot' vertical trusstrames herein described, with a horizontal t'rame of similarconstruction, so arranged with relation to each other that thehorizontal and the central vertical trusses have a common chord,substantially as described, t'or the purposes specitied.

AMBROSE W. THOMPSON.

Vitnesses:

A. THOMPSON, J UAN PA'r'rIsoN.

